BALTIMORE, Sept. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) signed a long-term agreement today with Kalekalip Defense and Aerospace, under which the Turkish firm will provide support equipment associated with the Turkish Air Force Peace Eagle Airborne Surveillance Program.

Kalekalip's subcontract, valued at US$820,000 (1,115,000 TRL), calls for production of eight types of support equipment for the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar and integral identification, friend or foe system. The MESA radar, designed and built by Northrop Grumman under contract to The Boeing Company, is the primary sensor on the Peace Eagle 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control platform. Boeing is the prime contractor and integrator for the program. Kalekalip will build the antenna lift and transport fixture; the installation-support equipment for the radar power supply and transmit/receive module bins; and the radar power-supply test set.

"Kalekalip is extremely well qualified for this effort," said Northrop Grumman selection team leader Cynthia Councell, who was impressed with Kalekalip's proven capability to provide support equipment manufactured to exacting standards and under strict quality controls. "They are also very responsive and forward-leaning -- both very desirable traits that we look for in our international suppliers."

Kalekalip Defense and Aerospace, already a supplier to Northrop Grumman on the Joint Strike Fighter program, as well as to other major U.S. defense contractors, sees the order as a natural fit for its business. "We are working to be the supplier of choice for precision machining and assembly," says Murat Toprak, director of international business development for Kalekalip. "We see this as joining Northrop Grumman's global supplier base and as critical to increasing exports in the future."

The Kalekalip-built equipment is used during manufacturing, assisting in transporting and installing the radar components, and in maintenance activities that follow delivery of the Peace Eagle aircraft to the Turkish Air Force. In addition to follow-on support for the equipment itself, Kalekalip will be fully qualified for similar orders for future customers of the MESA product line.

Kalekalip, a world-class aerospace and defense company under the Kale Group of Turkey, manufactures a wide variety of defense products including large-caliber rocket launchers, precision sniper rifles, and missile and rocket components, missile guidance systems, and aircraft components for both the Turkish and International market. The Kale Group generates over 700 million Euros a year from a wide variety of businesses, from ceramics to robotics.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With more than 125,000 employees, and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.